Monday, October 19, 2009

Light week for me coming off my week long vacation, but Ryan seems to be picking up the slack based on his Post-Crisis Previews. Most anticipated release for me and, hopefully, everyone else is The Stuff of Legend #2. Just a fantastic little indie book whose first issue caught many off guard and went through several reprintings and is still quite difficult to get a hold of. Don't miss out on this second issue if it's slipped under your radar.

As always, these previews are merely a look at what we are purchasing for the coming week and our general thoughts or expectations for each comic. Feel free to recommend any books you think we should be reading or tell us what's on your pull list or comment on our thoughts.

Hit the jump for this week's Post-Crisis Previews!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #609

Written by Marc Guggenheim

Art by Marco Chechetto and Luke Ross

As Raptor tightens the noose on Peter and those he loves, the turbulent days of the Clone Saga comes back to haunt Peter Parker in part two of this three part epic!

Ryan: The first issue of this storyline was a bit of a bust as it repeated a lot of the action and setup that we had already seen between Peter Parker and Raptor in the recent Amazing Spider-Man Annual. Now that all of the setup is out of the way, I’m hoping that Marc Guggenheim can get the story back on track and moving forward. Now if only we could do something about Chechetto’s disappointing “throwback” art style.

Kirk:Kaine. KAINE! KAINNNNNEEE! Sorry about. No more outbursts from me.

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #5

Written by Christopher Yost and Marc Andreyko

Art by Dustin Nguyen and Jeremy Haun

The 2-part ""Leviathan"" story begins from guest writer Chris Yost (RED ROBIN) as the Huntress finds herself in an unusual position – the responsible one! Because when Huntress hunts down a violent new criminal, she finds herself stuck with a violent, loose cannon of a partner on the case – the Man-Bat.

Meanwhile, in the Manhunter co-feature, Jane Doe is in custody and claiming that Two-Face asked her to kill the former D.A. Since Kate Spencer can't find the bipolar baddie, it's up to Manhunter to hunt him down!

Ryan: Things really picked up for this title last issue, though it looks like it will be changing directions suddenly with this issue being the start of a 2-parter written by Chris Yost. Ivory Madison set the bar very high for Huntress stories with Huntress: Year One in 2008, but if anyone can follow-up on that, it's Yost, especially since 2009 has been such a banner year for him. Plus, Manhunter vs. Two-Face drawn by Jeremy Haun? I’ve got a good feeling about this!

Kirk: I like Chris Yost, but can't help but be disappointed by Paul Dini's sudden leave of absence on this fledgling title. I'll stick with it, but am not expecting much.

DARK AVENGERS #10

Written by Brian Bendis

Art by Mike Deodoto

Oh hey, you know how Norman Osborn was once the Green Goblin but he got it under control and now he’s one of the most powerful people in the free world? Oh, and you know that whole thing about him being a ticking time bomb who could snap at any minute? Yeah... you might want to check this issue out. The smash hit of the year continues!!

Kirk: Not much to say about this one, so let's talk about the cover. Why does Noh-Varr keep getting put on covers if he's been in maybe 10 pages total out of the nine previous issues? There's no name recognition there like having a Spider-Man or Wolverine on the cover, so the continued inclusion of someone that doesn't appear in the comic is odd, to say the least.

DARK WOLVERINE #79

Written by Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu

Art by Stephen Segovia

The unimaginable has happened — both Daken and Norman's plans have backfired! Now the victim of his own manipulations — beat almost to death by a gang of second-rate villains — Daken is forced to make an almost impossible admission: this ""hero"" thing is harder than it looks! But will digging himself out of the hole he's put himself in restore his pride — or ruin him forever?

Ryan: Watching Daken get his comeuppance for all of the shady things he has done over the last few issues should be incredibly enjoyable, but not nearly as much as seeing him try to spin it into being a “hero.” This series has been an incredibly pleasant surprise thanks to its very cerebral storytelling and if the solicits are accurate, this issue should give Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu ample opportunity to write to the title’s strengths.

ELEPHANTMENT #22

Written by Richard Stakings

Art by Andre Szymanowicz

A grave is desecrated.

Ryan: I like how simple and to-the-point this solicitation is. Then again, when you are dealing with Elephantmen, there is no need for excessive hype in the solicits. All you need is to see that is that its an Elephantmen book and you know it will be a Must Read.

GI JOE #10

Written by Chuck Dixon

Art by SL Gallant

BATTLEGROUND: SPRINGFIELD! Snake Eyes goes mano y mano with COBRA for the first time and it's a fight that may leaved a whole town in ruins! Brutal, one-on-one action that will stop your heart! Also, Destro meets Dr. Mindbender at Sector Zero. And the Joes uncover yet another horrifying revelation about their newest enemy.

Ryan: I absolutely love the slow-burn on this series. After ten issues in, Cobra is just now being fully exposed. This has allowed Dixon to build a lot of tension and expectation; of course, it wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for how fresh he has kept things through fun character work and big action throughout the first nine issues. As everything begins to come to a head here and all of the storylines are start coming together, I expect this great series to get even better.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #38

Written by James Robinson

Art by Mark Bagley

A new era begins for the World's Greatest Heroes as superstars James Robinson (STARMAN, SUPERMAN) and Mark Bagley (TRINITY, Ultimate Spider-Man) take over! It all begins as a one-time member of the JLA falls before he can warn the team of looming peril while what’s left of the JLA journeys to the heart of their past to decide if the team has any future at all.

Of course, that means this is the best time for a savage villain from the team’s past to attack the demoralized heroes! The team will have to muster enough will to win not only today, but in the harrowing months to come. It’s the start of a spanking new odyssey for the JLA that will lead in the coming months to a fresh line-up for DC’s flagship team. Get onboard now for the next epic chapter of the Justice League’s legacy!

Ryan: As a long time fan of all things Justice League, I really want to pick this issue up and enjoy the heck out of it. Unfortunately, I’m running into a few snags that may prevent me from doing so: 1) Mark Bagley’s work at DC is incredibly subpar compared to his Marvel work, 2) The new team doesn’t even debut for a few more issues, so this story is likely to be a filler bridge, and 3) I’m not sure how DC can call James Robinson’s Justice League “the World’s Greatest Heroes” when it is set to include the likes of Congorilla and the Guardian. I may throw Robinson and Bagley a bone by picking this one up, but I can’t imagine it ending well.

Kirk: After Cry For Justice, I have no interest in seeing Robinson's take on this book.

MICE TEMPLAR: DESTINY #4

Written by Bryan J.L. Glass and Michael Avon Oeming

Art by Victor Santos

Leito's dungeon uprising comes to a surprising conclusion...and someone must pay the consequences. While Karic and Cassius come face-to-face with the fearsome ""Guardians of the Dusk & Dawn"" and the truth behind the Templar's fall is finally revealed.

Ryan: This week’s Mice Templar promises big revelations in both major plots, which I can only imagine will mean big awesomeness for the title. As great as the original series was, Team Templar has really stepped up their game with the Destiny storyline, making Mice Templar one of the biggest releases of the week every week that a new issue drops.

MIGHT AVENGERS #30

Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage

Art by Sean Chen

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! As the epic battle with The Unspoken threatens all of Earth, the team-up you've been waiting for finally happens as members of the Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers, and the Avengers Initiative unite to fight a foe that no single hero could withstand! How can we fit so many Avengers in one issue? Against the most powerful Inhuman of all, with the greatest weapon in history, do they have a choice? All that plus a special appearance by the Dark Avengers.

Ryan:I knew it wouldn’t take long before all of the Avengers teamed-up, but I really expected it to be part of a big crossover storyline, like the upcoming Siege story. However, kudos to Marvel for letting Dan Slott and Christos Gage assemble the various Avengers teams in perhaps the least “flashy” of the Avengers titles for this story. My only concern is that Slott and Gage won’t have enough room in the issue to bring together all of the teams without shortchanging anyone, especially considering the struggles this title has had with juggling its own large cast.

Kirk: Is it just me or does Hank Pym look like Dr Horrible on that cover?

POWER GIRL #6

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray

Art by Amanda Conner

The trio of sexy alien marauders continues their rampage across Earth, and Power Girl makes her last stand against these seemingly unstoppable foes. But even Power Girl has her limits…

Ryan:Power Girl has been one of the few in-continuity books that is more focused on being an enjoyable read than tying into a much larger, much more grim storyline and it’s because of that fact that it has been one of my favorite new books this year. I imagine this issue will deliver more of the same, which is something I’m totally comfortable with, especially since Amanda Conner has been doing such amazing work on this series!

STUFF OF LEGEND #2

Written by Mike Raicht and Brain Smith

Art by Charles P. Wilson III

As World War II rages in the real world, an unseen battle for a young boy's soul takes place in a shadowy realm known as The Dark. Kidnapped by The Boogeyman, a group of loyal toys continues their quest to rescue their master. But uncertain of where to turn to next, and hunted by The Boogeyman's forces, the group seeks shelter in the township of Hopscotch. Will the kind people there provide clues to the location of the boy or is there a sinister game afoot?

Ryan:Stuff of Legend #1 seemed to catch everyone by storm and set the bar extremely high for this follow-up issue. If the first issue was any indication, we can expect an incredibly well thought-out narrative with some of the most hauntingly beautiful art of the week from this one. Despite stiff competition from titles that have great track records on the Comic Book Review Power Rankings, this one could actually be the frontrunner for Book of the Week.

Kirk: Matt will have an advance review of this up tomorrow for anyone interested. I've already read this one and can vouch for the quality of the follow-up issue. It's just as good as the first one and the only negative I can think of is that people have to wait another two days before reading it.

SUPERGIRL #46

Written by Sterling Gates and Greg Rucka

Art by Jamal Igle

Continuing from ACTION COMICS #882, “The Hunt for Reactron” concludes! It’s the final showdown between Flamebird, Supergirl and the man who killed their father. And for the Daughters of Zor-El, that means it’s payback time. Will Reactron make it out alive? Or is Nightwing the only one who can save them all?

Ryan: So, it appears that my experiment in only reading the Supergirl issues of 2009’s Super-crossovers can now be considered an epic failure as, not only did I not really enjoy last issue because I had no idea what was going on, I’ve apparently missed the fact that Flamebird is also the daughter of Zor-El, making her Supergirl’s half-sister. When did that happen? Why do I have the feeling that if I try to catch-up, I’m just going to end up adding Action Comics back to my pull list? Ugh!

X-MEN: LEGACY #228

Written by Mike Carey

Art by Daniel Acuna

Emplate is back and he’s out for blood. More specifically, for mutant bone marrow. And with the X-Men still reeling from Utopia, he may have picked the perfect time to come calling.

Ryan: While the new focus for this series has been a completely awesome change for this series, I’m not quite as such about the addition of Daniel Acuna as the ongoing artist. Acuna has always been a polarizing figure and his work on the recent X-Men: Legacy Annual was incredibly uneven. When he is on his game, he can produce some simply amazing work, but I’d hate to see him not reach that plateau and derail this series just as it was getting good again!

Even though I love Mark Bagley's artwork after reading the interview James Robinson did with CBR that talked about how he sees each character that will be in the JLA in January I am not going to pick up the series unless I hear good things about it first.

And this is a pretty light week for me with only Streets of Gotham and Invincible Iron Man as the only titles I am picking up this week.

Pretty sure that Flamebird isn't Zor-el's daughter, unless I missed something too. Do believe their referring to the fact the Kara's Dad was pretty much Flamebird's father after her parents were killed and Kandor was bottled.

I'm super excited for Stuff of Legend, Invincible Iron Man, and X-Men Legacy. I also hadn't realized that issue #30 of Mighty Avengers had Sean Chen on art, which makes me look forward to it a lot more. Khoi Pham doesn't do it for me, but I'm expecting Chen's pencils to break open this storyline in a big way.

Also, the latest miniseries of Stephen King's The Stand is coming out this week, which has me stoked. This adaptation has been stellar since the first issue, and it's a shame more folks aren't talking about it.

I'm actually looking forward to Robinson on JUSTICE LEAGUE of AMERICA. I've been enjoying CRY FOR JUSTICE in a masochistic kind of way.

SUPERGIRL: I want to like it more but I can't. True, it is better than it has been since it started but then I read POWER GIRL and see how much better SUPERGIRL could be. Frankly, all of the SUPERMAN family books have suffered since he left for Krypton. Not because of Superman's absence but because the Project7734 storyline dominates all the titles (save SM:WoNK) making it difficult for ACTION and SUPERMAN to find establish their own identities. Too bad. I was really looking forward to the Nightwing/Flamebird stuff (maybe now that they are exposed they will go back to their old costumes).

Pretty sure that this is my final issue of GI Joe. Between the 3 series I've got 20+ issues from IDW and the only thing that's memorable is Snake Eyes' face catching on fire. It's fairly boring and I can't get a vibe on any of the characters. I could go on and on but the direction IDW has for this franchise just isnt doing it for me. It's a shame because I have every single GI Joe issue, but I guess I am not their market anyway.

Dangster: I wasn't able to order the first issue of Stuff of Legend in time, the 1st printing sold out, and I had to wait a long time for the second printing. It was totally worth it though (and I had the pdf review copy to hold me down, too, haha)

Definition of pimping a character without plausibly using him: Marvel Boy in Dark Avengers

other characters that can fit this: Static, Prodigy in any book other than New X-Men Academy, She-Hulk and of course Wonder Woman outside of her own book. Well this is until that arc in Secret Six came along....

@Anonymous - I'm not reading Booster Gold, so didn't know about it. I usually rely on people posting images online or talking about something to find moments from books I don't read, but didn't see any mention of anything from Booster except the Blue Beetle backup with the two toys being made to kiss each other.

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